Taken With Trouble (CAUGHT IN CHAOS #2)

27. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Liam

The ruthless, strong woman in my arms crumples like a rag doll.

Seraphina. My first love.

I thought I’d only imagined it the first time I heard her voice in the restaurant. She and her partner were doing a terrible job of being inconspicuous. She haunted me again in that dark karaoke bar. Maybe that’s why I kissed her, regardless of who she might have been. I missed the girl I had lost.

But I had been right all along. I hadn’t allowed myself to even hope. But then I saw that scar in her hairline—the one she got because of me.

I knew she hated tea and loved to fight with me. But I was only convinced when she looked at me with eyes that never changed, when I heard her laugh.

She doesn’t talk with an accent anymore, and her hair is pitch black compared to the brown it used to be. Her nose and face structure are different as well. Her cheekbones higher, her lips fuller, her eyebrows a different arch.

But it’s her. And that’s all that matters.

I brush the hair off her tear-stained cheeks and hold her closer, wishing I was big enough, strong enough to truly protect her the way she needs. I ache to be able to hold up her burdens and allow her to crawl free from this fear inside .

I wait for her to speak, but it’s clear she’s opened up as much as she wants to for now.

“He’s the one who kidnapped us,” I say to confirm. I thought I heard his name spoken, but now I know. “Why does he want you?”

“I saw him kill someone,” she whispers into the pillow as if she’s afraid Sebastian could be listening.

Whatever I expected, it wasn’t that. “What do you mean?”

“Multiple someones. Eight years ago, I was, uh, dating him.” She pauses to tap on my arm, and only then do I realize I’ve tightened my hold.

“Sorry.” I relax my arms but not my heart.

“We dated for a couple years. He was manipulative, but he made me feel wanted. The more serious we became, the more cagey and defensive he got about his work. I got tired of the games and I followed him one night to a warehouse.” She takes a deep breath. “He had four men tied in chairs, and I recognized one man. Peter Marquois.”

I blink. “The powerful business guy?” He’d been a prominent leader nearly a decade ago, a billionaire. And then he up and disappeared. There was talk of him living in the Caymans.

Serena plays with the edge of the blanket near her chin. “They were arguing over a crate of stolen artifacts, the same crate I was hiding behind. When they weren’t looking, I took one of the items. I thought I could turn it in to the authorities and get Sebastian arrested, but I needed more proof, so I started recording. That was when Sebastian shot the men in the chairs. I ran. I went into hiding, waiting for it to blow over, but it didn’t. Sebastian turned into a hound, texting and calling me, trying to find me. He knew I had been there. They must have had security cameras in the warehouse. I ditched my phone, ran to the States, and became someone he’d never find.”

With a job that not only taught her how to fight but allowed her access to the highest level of resources to protect herself.

I’m in awe of this woman, but wholly confused. “How on earth did you get into the academy? ”

“I had help,” she says simply, burrowing her head deeper into my shoulder. It’s incredibly distracting.

I will find out more on that front later. After we fix this mess.

“So Sebastian needs the footage?” I clench and unclench my fists, wanting more than anything to hit this man.

“And the box.”

“What box?”

Serena looks up at me. “Scarlett’s box.”

Somewhere in the house a clock ticks. “What?”

“That was the artifact I stole from the warehouse that night. I had someone get rid of it for me. But then it showed up again. With Amelia.”

I frown, studying the hideous wallpaper over Serena’s head.

That can’t be right. Scarlett stole it from a museum in Atlanta. She was the one who learned about the treasure connected to it and insisted on stealing it. It was a simple heist. We were looking into the treasure when Sawyer stole it. And killed her. Was Sawyer working for Sebastian and came after the box? And Scarlett was in the way, and that’s why she was killed? No.

I clear my throat. “Why did Sebastian want the box?”

“He must think the evidence is in there. That or he believes it’s part of a bigger treasure like you and wants to be the first to find it.”

It’s possible, but more likely, he thinks the evidence is in there. A man like that cares more about image than anything. The treasure would just be a nice bonus.

“Where is the evidence?” I ask, almost afraid to know the answer. “It wasn’t in the box when Scarlett and I got it. Did someone else find it?”

“It was never in the box. I put it somewhere safe.”

I raise a brow. “You’re using my line now.”

“It worked well for you.”

My mind is running a million miles an hour. Sebastian has the box. By now, he will know the video evidence isn’t in there. He’s going to be angry, and he’s going to take it out on… “Sebastian has my grandfather.” The bed suddenly feels colder.

Serena swallows. “I believe so. And now he wants me.”

“That’s not going to happen. I’ll keep you safe.” I clamp my jaw together and splay my hands across her back, hoping to convince her of the sincerity of my words.

“You’re capable of a lot of things, but not even you can compete with him. He’s powerful and dangerous.”

I brush my lips over her hair. “I’m starting to get offended by your lack of belief in me.”

A ghost of a smile creases her cheeks. “Not everything is about you.”

If it was, they wouldn’t want her. I cup the back of her neck and bring her mouth to mine. Though she was freezing mere minutes ago, her mouth comes alive, kissing me back the way I dreamed of kissing her when I was fifteen. We’ve bridged that gap in time, growing into the people we are today. I keep my kiss soft, promising to protect her this time. She clings to me; I want to believe it’s because she finally trusts me. I’ll do anything to be that man for her. I slide my hand down her side, gripping her hip and deepening the kiss.

The blankets tangle around us, trapping us in warmth and… love.

Her heart has planned the perfect heist and kidnapped mine. I’m all hers. I press a kiss to every inch of exposed skin on her collarbone, dropping my mouth to the hollow of her neck and running my lips up her smooth skin, back to her mouth. She eagerly greets me, making my body flame with desire. I want to throw caution to the wind, like I used to. But that’s not who I am anymore. This woman deserves the very best in a man—one who would never hurt or break her.

I might not be that man yet. But I want to be.

I drag my lips away from hers, and she groans. I press another kiss to her forehead before rolling to my back and dragging her into my side. “Time to get some sleep, sweetheart.”

She snuggles into me, and within moments, her breaths come slow and steady.

A feeling hits me right in the chest as I watch her sleep—something I haven’t felt for far too long.

I could try to deny it, but I’ve already loved her once before.